


feel you near

by song_of_fate



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Family Vibes, Fluff, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith does what he wants, M/M, Movie Nights, SO MUCH FLUFF, get ready for it, hunk is a bro, lance causes himself problems, non-binary Pidge, not so platonic cuddles, pidge is a tsundere, platonic cuddles, touch starved babies, unnecessary dramatics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/song_of_fate/pseuds/song_of_fate
Summary: Lance is a creature of touch.He finds out he's not the only one.





	feel you near

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all. 
> 
> S7 was a insane ride for all of us. For us Klance shippers, well, it left a lot of heartache. So I really felt the need to make something fluffy and feel-good where they just all freaking loved each other. The initial idea for this is based off of the experience I had with my own friends growing up and how we always relied on being able to connect physically with each other and the world around us. Also I really needed family time for our Voltron Squad. I hope you all enjoy my very first actual contribution to this fandom that I adore so very much - but please, don't take it too seriously. ;)

Lance wasn’t sure when exactly it started. He just knew that it started small. 

Touch was always an integral part of Lance’s life growing up. He really hadn’t had a choice in the matter with the sheer size of his family, but it wasn’t ever something he’d really bothered thinking too much about. It was a common McClain household scenario to find two or more of his siblings piled together somewhere in their downtime, basking in the comfort of each other. 

Marco had a hair thing, constantly with his fingers twisting and twirling whoever’s was closest to him, Veronica would curl in close, head landing on Lance’s shoulder while Luis propped himself up against their legs. Some people would probably find it suffocating, but to Lance and his family, it was their way of maintaining that connection. So much could be told from a single touch and that was how Lance learned to keep tabs on the world around him. 

Without even thinking about it he’d find himself playfully tugging at the fabric of Pidge’s collar when he'd pass them nose deep in research or grasping Hunk’s arm to give a reassuring squeeze when his best bud would get that worried frown on his face. Lance knew he talked a lot - but it wasn’t the talking that he relied on when it came to understanding people. 

Allura and Coran were actually very affectionate by nature, apparently, Alteans psychic abilities relied a lot on physical contact. Once Allura realized that Lance wasn’t actually trying to get with her - not that that meant he was suddenly blind to how ridiculously beautiful she was - she became exceptionally more open with him which warmed Lance’s heart and soothed his frayed nerves every time she'd let him nudge their shoulders together playfully. His romantic feelings simmered into genuine platonic love - and Allura was finally able to respond in kind. 

Hell, even Shiro was game for it, which, just blew Lance’s mind because it was  _ Shiro  _ but the guy had gone through so much, instead of staying away he’d shoot Lance a grateful little smile when he’d go for a hug or a high five. Coran, of course, had never been a stranger to touch and seemed to have a built-in radar that would alert him to Lance’s mood. Needless to say - there had been a lot of random tackle hugs. 

Homesickness was a constant, bitter ache for Lance but now….now it just didn’t feel as all-consuming. His team was like another family to him, and they would make sure they all returned home in time. 

Well, then, of course, there was Keith.

Keith had a tendency to come off as prickly. One of those people who was repelled by the touch of others. Sometimes Lance would find himself reaching out to touch him on instinct -  _ not like, to be weird _ \- but to give him a friendly pat on the back after a particularly rough training or crazy ass mission and he’d find himself stopping short of actually reaching him. There were those people, ya know? The ones who’d freak if you touched them. Which, if they weren’t into the touch thing that was cool, Lance respected other's personal boundaries. Keith and Lance were rivals, sure, but they were also sort of stuck together and Lance's heart couldn't help but want to reach out and provide comfort in stressful situations.

He may have also convinced himself that their so-called “bonding moment” was a trick of the light brought on by a concussion at the time so, that didn’t really count. 

It wasn’t a new thing to see Keith respond to touch from Shiro. They were buddies though, brothers even if you really dug into it. Other than that, Keith kind of kept to himself, and between Keith’s cactus-like way of life and the epic rivalry he had going on with Lance, he figured it was best to just not bother with it. 

Admittedly this was easier said than done. 

Lance wasn’t an idiot. He knew that everyone else knew that he didn’t actually hate Keith, much. The guy annoyed him to no end with his - his perfectness and his fighting skills and his piloting and his goddamn  _ hair _ . But that was Lance’s teammate and he knew he’d jump out of an airlock to save the uppity bastard if the need arose. He just wasn’t good at well,  _ saying that.  _ Something about Keith had thrown him off balance. 

Ironically it was when Lance's head stopped taking charge of his actions that things started changing. 

Oh, they still argued. Sometimes viciously. But now that Lance wasn’t constantly starting shit due to his own self-worth issues, and instesd was actually trying to understand Keith as a person, there was a noticeable shift in their dynamic. Lance and Keith were complete opposites and something about the very nature of that would often draw them together on the battlefield. 

Which brought them to their current training session. Since they weren’t causing absolute havoc every time the other was in earshot, they were actually paired to take point quite a bit more than they had been before. Keeping up with Keith’s sheer speed in combat was as irritating as it was invigorating and Lance quickly found himself catching up by learning to use his length and flexibility to his advantage

Keith was an absolute demon with his blade, twisting and slicing with a sort of animalistic grace that would be terrifying to any sorry sucker on the short end of a real fight. He was always moving, his momentum carrying his body from and forward with nothing guiding him but pure instinct.

Lance, on the other hand, had learned quickly the benefit of stillness. How to block out the noise until there was nothing but his sight and his own beating heart. Small bursts of air left his lungs as he took out approaching drone after drone, inches away from Keith himself. It used to distract the red paladin when Lance got too close, but lately, he seemed to adjust to Lance’s style of fighting and started to rely on Lance to have his back, his movements changing to fit the support.

The thought had Lance feeling proud. This was his place on the team, he was good at it, and even though he'd never admit it, having Keith of all people trust his abilities in battle just solidified Lance's confidence all the more.  

When the sequence ended, they had kicked some  _ major  _ ass and Lance let out a victorious yell as he jumped down from his perch, legs taking him to Keith before he could overthink it. Keith, sweaty and satisfied with their performance, actually met Lance’s happy grin with a bright one of his own, adrenaline flushing his eyes and making them glow.

“DUDE, we rocked that!” Lance crowed, fists punching into the air. “Hell YES!”

“That was some nice work, Lance, I’ve gotta admit.” Keith chuckled, running a gloved hand through his soaked bangs. This had been one of their higher training levels yet and while they were pretty banged up, they'd still aced the damn thing.

“I do what I do what I do.” Lance preened, but his grin softened at the compliment anyway. “Certainly helps that you’re loosening up a little.” He wiggled a finger and an eyebrow at Keith all at once. “You didn’t even flinch this time when that kill shot whizzed past your face!”

Keith snorted, smacking Lance’s hand out of his face as he stretched. “Well, that could also just mean that you’re getting predictable.”

Lance’s scoff echoed through the now empty training room, “Puh-lease. I am an actual ninja now with my baby here.” He patted his hip where his Bayard sat comfortably.

“If by ninja you mean trigger happy spazoid, then sure.” Keith smirked.

“Hey!” Lance growled playfully, happy and proud, his arm coming up to sling around Keith’s shoulders in yet another gesture he barely registered as they started to make their way from the training room.”This spazz totally saved your ass, mullet, admit it!” 

The antagonistic expression slipped off Keith's face at the contact and his jaw clicked shut around his retort. His head swiveling from Lance’s face to the arm around his shoulder blinking rapidly. He didn’t look angry, but he certainly didn't look happy either. Frankly, he looked straight up shocked. 

Oops?

Embarrassed heat shot up Lance’s neck when he realized what he’d done, “Oh uh, er, sorry man.” He moved his arm as fast as he could, stepping back to give Keith space in hopes that he hadn’t inadvertently ruined the good mood. “Didn't mean to get all up in your space. My bad. Won’t happen aga-” 

“Lance,” Keith interrupted him, his fingers dragging through his hair again in what now appeared to be a nervous gesture. “It’s uh, it’s actually fine. I don’t…mind being touched, actually.” 

Lance was pretty sure he was gonna lose his eyebrows in his hair. “Really? But I thought you were, “ he waved his arms in a circle trying to find the words, “Like, Mr ‘touch me lose your hand’ type of guy.” 

Keith’s shoulders went up in a shrug and Lance couldn’t help but notice the blossom of pink slowing coloring his friends’ ears. Though, damn if he was gonna admit how endearing that actually was. Or...or where that thought actually came from in the first place. But okay. 

“I’m not _ used _ to being touched, but it doesn’t mean I don’t like it. It’s just strangers that weird me out.” He grumbled, the tips of his ears now pinkening. 

Lance open and closed his mouth three or four times,  probably looking like a complete idiot, but he didn’t entirely know what to do with this information. His whole life had basically been a lie. Okay, well, more like his information about Keith had been slightly off, but since Lance was the king of drama, that meant his whole  _ life had been a lie.  _

“So...you don’t...care?” 

“No. I mean, usually only Shiro ever - I don’t know.  It’s not a big deal.” Keith shook his head probably unable to believe he was actually having this conversation. “I see how you are with the others, and I know we aren’t super close or anything. I just figured I’d tell you it doesn’t bother me so you don’t have to freak out and apologize if you do it on accident.”

“Okay okay okay.” Lance could feel the grin sliding across his face and didn’t bother trying to stop it. He’d grown, see, matured. “This is actually a thing for me. An important thing. Like an essential Lance thing that I do, but only with people who want me to. So if you seriously don’t mind me touching you, I gotta say, you’re gonna be opening yourself up to the most epic of bromances cuz I  _ gotta _ touch my people!” 

“Oh my god,” Keith was moving to leave, but Lance could hear the laughter in his voice. “I said it’s fine! Can we go now? I can smell you from here!” 

Lance’s smile could have split his face wide open as he ran to catch up, “Excuse me?! My scent is that of manly musk and frankly if anyone is gonna need a shower, it’s you, Gym Sock!” 

Shoulder to shoulder, they left the training room. Lance drifted into Keith’s orbit on instinct just so excited to have permission to do so. Happiness blossomed warm in his chest, like the final piece of his new family unit had clicked into place. Keith might have been his rival, but as Lance slung his arm easily around his shoulders again drawing him close, he felt like maybe this way they could  _ finally _ relieve enough of the tension to actually be friends. 

Things were definitely looking up.

 

* * *

 

Once Lance had permission to touch Keith, it was like he couldn’t stop. Which yeah,  it sounded weird even in his head, but Lance never did have much chill when it came to anything. It was just - nice. Now, Lance could smoosh Keith's annoying grin when they were taunting each other, grab Keith’s arm if he was near enough to bask in Lance’s excitement about something, there were even a few times Lance got away with ruffling that ever aggravating mullet. Keith would protest, of course, but Lance didn’t lose a limb, so he considered that a win all the same. 

These all probably seemed like small things to others, but to have this sort of open, affectionate camaraderie was something Lance needed like breathing.

What Lance absolutely had not expected was for Keith to reciprocate. He started making room for Lance to invade his space, his whole body seemed to relax the moment they connected. A couple of weeks into Lance’s revelation and now they more often than not ended up standing next to each other during briefings or just sitting side by side during meals with their legs pressed together, and that was just when they weren't paying attention.

Lance was starting to understand that his initial assumption of Keith and affection had been way, _ way _ off. The guy wasn’t a self-imposed hermit at all - he was freaking  _ touch starved _ . 

Lance saw it in the way he’d lean towards Shiro when they’d come back from another brutal close-call, closing his eyes and breathing deeply like he was trying to remember their combined scent. Or when Lance would put his hand on Keith’s shoulder, the red paladin would hold it there with his own for a few seconds. Seeing this, and having the incessant need to keep everyone's spirits up, just spurred a wave of almost mindless affection that Lance had never been comfortable to really show outside of Hunk and his family. He hadn’t been joking when he’d told Keith he barely realized what he was doing when his hands would automatically move to touch one of them - searching, comforting, grounding. It just made Lance happy to  _ feel  _ when they were happy. Now, he could do his best for all of them.

 

* * *

 

“I’m telling you Hunk,” Lance said, poking his friend in the cheek. “ Next time we hit up that space mall we are getting you one of those Xylanthian face masks. It will blooOoow your MIND!” Lance’s voice carried into the common area as the door slid open for them. “Well, at least that's what the alien vendor dude said when he tried to sell it to me.” He shrugged. 

Hunk narrowed his eyes, suspicious. “Er, are we talking literally here? Cuz I’m so not about to blow my face off so you can test out a new beauty regimen.”

“Beauty is pain, my man!” Lance cackled at Hunk’s exasperated sigh. A familiar flash of white and red caught his eye and drew his gaze to Keith reclined quietly on the couch, engrossed in a book. Lance couldn't help the corners of his mouth tilting up into a smile. You wouldn't really peg Keith Kogane - half-Galran fighter pilot, sword master extraordinaire, the right hand of Voltron - to be a bookworm. Keith didn't bother looking up at them, clearly lost in whatever it was but Lance knew he was very well aware of his surroundings. If the guy had legit Galra ears they’d probably be swiveling around listening to their every move. 

Lance had to bite his lip from letting out an honest to god giggle cuz that was a cuter image than anything that had to do with Keith had a right to be. As he went to pass by the couch, he couldn’t help his taunt.

"Hey, mullet." Lance snarked, still grinning. 

Keith’s eyes remained glued to his book, but his hand slid up the side of the couch, palm up in silent offering. Lance felt that warmth spread from his chest and outward like a spiraling star at the movement. He remembered his eldest sister, Veronica, spread out in their living room surrounded by textbooks and papers and struggling to survive her entrance exams. She had barely spoken to any of them in days, but one of them always made sure to stop in long enough to make her eat and how she’d reached out her hand in a very similar way - needing to feel that reassurance but not being able to make her words work enough to ask. 

_ She would have liked Keith, _ Lance thought, surprising himself.

"Hey, slacker." Keith’s mumbled reply broke Lance from the memory lingering at the edge of his vision. His insults sounded less like insults every day,  it was definitely a change from even just a few months ago.

Lance's fingers didn't hesitate to slide against Keith's palm after that, cool and familiar now like they’d grown up in each other's pockets and not just randomly decided to be bros. He felt the blistering homesickness the memory of his sister brought die down to a slow ember when his naturally warm skin settled against Keith’s chill. 

Lance, suddenly, remembering he’d been having a conversation and turned his body back around to face Hunk, wondering why he’d yet to hear a response.  Hunk, however, was staring back and forth between them, stuttering over the words caught on his tongue and Lance realized he may have lingered a liiiittle too long in his head. 

“Wh-what, ah, what?” Hunk stuttered, jaw slightly agape. 

Lance’s fingers tapped idly on Keith’s palm as he waited for Hunk to gather himself, stroking along the skin and feeling as the tension released itself from the small muscles. 

“Lose your train of thought there, buddy?” Lance asked, smirking. He knew what this looked like. He wasn’t dumb. But Hunk knew him and was probably just shocked he’d gotten Keith to finally open up enough to be enfolded in Lance’s Circle of Hugs club.

Hunk made a crossing motion with his hands. “Oh uh, n-nothing man. Nothing.” He drew his attention to Keith, trying and failing to stamp down the embarrassment of the current situation. “Hey so, Keith, have you seen Pidge around?”

“Yeah, they're with Green. Said something about updates. Tech nerd stuff.” 

“Cool!” Hunk clapped his hands, laughing awkwardly. “ Um, ya know, I’m actually supposed to help them with that tech nerd stuff so, I’ll see you guys later!” With that last slightly high pitched goodbye, Hunk was gone before either of them could fully register the encounter. Lance turned back to Keith, eyebrow raised. 

“So, was that weird to you?” 

Keith shrugged, “Not any weirder than usual.” 

Lance shrugged and no longer having Hunk’s company to entertain him, slid smoothly over the back of the couch to sit next to, well sort of on, Keith. After some cursing, grunting, and maneuvering, they managed to settle themselves on the couch together laying with their heads pillowed on each other’s feet to keep themselves steady. But hey, if Lance was gonna be abandoned by his best friend, he guessed chilling with Keith wasn't a bad way to rebound. Keith’s book laid forgotten on his chest as they traded snarks and random conversation. They didn’t talk about how Lance’s fingers hadn't bothered to pull away from Keith’s the whole time.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Keith came stumbling in late to breakfast, shoulders slumped and eyes from what had probably been a very late night training session brought on by one of his insomnia bouts. Lance silently wondered how the guy had managed to survive this long, he looked like a literal train wreck.

He felt Keith pass behind him but not without landing a half-hearted smack to the back of Lance’s head, hand dragging sideways through his hair as he did so. Lance smothered what probably would have been a small smile at the contact behind an indignant screech, ignoring Shiro’s long-suffering sigh as he readied his Dad Voice, and grabbed Keith’s hand before the idiot managed to miss the chair entirely and end up on the floor. He spun Keith around until they were face to face, Keith’s tired gaze barely even register what was happening as Lance plopped him gently in his actual seat and slid a plate of goo in front of him. For someone who spent so much time honing their instincts and trying to remain alert at all times - he was really not a morning person. Lance learned that when Keith got like this it was almost impossible to get him to eat unless you almost literally shoved food in his face. 

Keith muttered what was probably some sort of ‘thank you’ and Lance turned back to his own breakfast, satisfied. He paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth when he realized everyone was staring at them.

“What?” Lance asked, defensiveness creeping into his tone. Okay, he got it, Lance being the one to make sure Keith didn't die was a little odd for them. But come on, what was with the staring?!

Shiro was the first to break the silence, his own tone hedging. “Nothing, Lance. Just that you two...seem to be getting along better than usual that's all.” 

Keith, still blinking himself awake, seemed to finally gather some sense of alertness at the sound of Shiro's voice. “And?” He challenged, trying to look intimidating but Lance had to smother his laughter because the guy was looking considerably less threatening and more along the lines of an angry kitten with his hair sticking up at all angles and nose scrunched.

Shiro’s tone was placating, the corners of his mouth turning up just a bit. “It’s just nice to see -” He cut off and Pidge’s amused snort.

“ _ And _ you're kind of touchy lately.” Pidge intervened, smug as can be. Hunk sat next to them trying valiantly to ignore everything that was currently happening because Hunk was a bro like that and Lance honestly loved him. 

Lance's arms came flying up, “Um, duh? I’m a touchy person? You literally used me as a pillow last night. Who cares?!” He pointed his spoon at their dumb knowing face. Lance did  _ not _ appreciate their implications, dammit!

“It's just nice to see you two getting along so well.” Shiro finished, shooting them both a proud grin that would rival any real dad and Lance couldn't help but roll his eyes towards Keith to lament about it.

Keith, however, had his face tilted to the ceiling and eyes closed as if he was praying to whoever was there to take him out of this situation, like right now. Lance felt that in his soul, he really did. 

“Yep!” Lance's chair scrapped with the force of his movement as he stood. “All good in the hood on the Red/Blue front. Team bonding and all that jazz.” He let his feet carry him backward, and the hell out of this particularly awkward shit. “Well I've got some stuff to do, so I'll catch you guys later!” 

He saw Shiro lift his hand to protest but the doors slid shut behind him before Lance could hear what he said, only feeling mildly guilty that he left Keith to deal alone.

 

* * *

“Huuuunk.” Lance whined from his spot on the floor,  his head was pillowed on his friends' ridiculously comfy legs. “You got to pick the movie last time!”

“No, that was you.” Pidge piped up from their spot under Hunk’s other arm. Hunk had been perfectly built to be the main source of cuddles and they took advantage of it whenever possible. Luckily Hunk never seemed to mind, in fact, he’d lift his arms expectantly, waiting for Lance and Pidge to curl into his sides. He was literally the most perfect movie night pillow ever. Lance adored and appreciated his BFF. 

“Well, at least I tried something different last time!” Lance protested, throwing a piece of whatever popcorn substitute they were trying tonight at Pidge’s fluffy head. He couldn’t even remember what it was called. Korla? Kako? Whatever, it was pink and tasted kinda salty and that was good enough for him. 

“ Lance if you really wanna-” Hunk’s comment was interrupted by Pidge’s own protest.

“Nope! Nuh uh! The rotation cannot be broken! We’ll end up with sixteen mushy gushy love stories in a row. Or a month of musicals. No, we go in order or not at all!”

Lance slumped down, not really having a whole lot of argument for that but certainly was not gonna be happy about it. “Yeah yeah, pipe down squirt.” He reached over to wriggle his fingers at the base of one of their feet and cackled heartily when they shrieked and swatted him away. 

“Okay.” Hunk rose his voice over the shrieking, “But you both realize that if I pick the movie I’ve gotta move.” 

Lance and Pidge’s bickering stopped and they stared at Hunk and then each other, blinking. 

“Yeah, no.” 

“Unacceptable.” 

“Someone make the mice do it.” 

“We need to invite the space parents to these more so  _ they _ can do it.” 

“Or Keith.”  Lance suggested, thoughtfully.

“Where _ is _ Keith?” Pidge asked.

“Oooh,  _ Keith _ ?” Hunk chimed in, eyebrows dancing up and down suggestively.

Catching on, Pidge's face turned positively evil, “Ah, yes. Speaking of  _ Keith _ -” 

Lance may or may not have starting choking a little around the blush that erupted over his face and he scrambled to throw a pillow at Pidge before they could finish their thought. “I don’t know _ what you’re talking about you little gremlin - “ _

He cut himself off as the doors slid open and it was irony, true, true irony, that Keith himself came walking into the rec room at that very moment. 

“Oh, HEY Keith!” Lance feigned innocence, shooting Hunk and Pidge both massive stink eyes. A warning of the death that would come swiftly if they kept up their previous direction of conversation. Now wasn't the time to talk about this. Hell, there wasn't a  _ this  _ to even talk about! As far as he was concerned, his sudden need to be wherever Keith was was simply him making up for lost time. It had nothing to do with other stuff. No. No, it did not. Screw you guys. 

“Hey...” Keith raised a hand in a lazy wave, looking over them curiously. “What’s uh...going on here?” He gestured to the dogpile that was now the three of them and what was probably every pillow in the castle that didn’t belong to Shiro and Allura. Coran’s pillows may have also been swiped. Out of necessity. 

“Movie night!” Pidge chirped. “Hunk’s our pillow. “ 

“I am their pillow.” Hunk confirmed with a small smile and a shrug.

“We were just trying to figure out what to watch.” Lance’s heart rate was slowly settling back to normal and his own smile slid into something more genuine at the wide-eyed stare Keith was giving them. Lance couldn’t help but notice the ridiculous puppy-like tilt to his head. He’d seen this guy quite literally cleave a Galra soldier in two and right now all he wanted to do was pet him and it really was just kind of unfair...

What the hell was with the comparing Keith to cute fuzzy animals thing lately?! 

“Oh.” Keith blinked, a sudden awkwardness in the flush on his face as if he was caught somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. "I’ll leave you guys to it.” 

“Wait!” Lance yelped, hand reaching out as Keith stopped in his tracks. He could feel Pidge and Hunk’s smirks burning holes in the side of his head but the look on Keith’s face wasn’t something Lance could let stand. “Do you uh...do you want in on this?” 

Honestly, he half expected Keith to come back with some kind of excuse about training, but he was gonna extend the offer anyway. It’s not like he and Pidge and Hunk ever purposefully left him out of their movie fiascos - it was just that he never seemed to want to spend that much time with them outside of missions or training. 

Lance stopped, suddenly struck with the thought that maybe that maybe this was just another thing they had all overlooked when it came to Keith. His heart clenched at the thought that Keith might have felt left out and lonely this whole time while they had been comforting themselves and sometimes even Shiro, Allura, and Coran with stuff like this. 

_ God, I am the biggest asshole on this planet.  _  Lance lamented to himself, silently vowing to invite Keith to every single little thing they ever decided to do from this day forward. Family fun time was mandatory goddammit!

Keith’s shoulders fell from their defensive position as he turned to study Lance. His eyebrows did a series of rapid flicking movements like they didn’t know what emotion to settle on. Eventually, he relaxed and his lips curved upwards, the dim lighting cast shadows across the whiteness of his cheeks only further illuminated the deep purple of his eyes. Lance may have forgotten how to breathe for a moment. 

“You know….yeah. Sure.” Keith chuckled, “I guess I can watch some horrible Altean chick flick with you guys.” He was trying for casual but Lance could see the happy gleam in his eyes and his heart kinda felt like it was in a choke hold. Yeah, they’d definitely dropped the ball on that one. 

“HUNK is choosing, first of all. There will be no sappy crap in this house tonight!” Pidge bellowed, poking Lance right between the eyes for emphasis to which Lance yowled and smacked her hand away. 

“Hey, brat! Keep your hands off my face!” 

“What’d you call me?!” Pidge intoned dangerously, smushing Lance’s face full on now with both hands, laptop forgotten in their lap. Hunk sighed as they squabbled over his legs, shooting Keith an apologetic grin.

Keith, however, was covering his mouth with a gloved hand, shoulders shaking as he tried to hide his laughter. Despite his efforts, Lance could hear the tiny giggles escaping him anyway and the sound distracted him long enough for Pidge to effectively send him flinging sideways with the force of their pillow slamming into the side of his head.  

“Ow?!” he ground out, ready to get back at them and reclaim his honor when Keith finally gave in to all pretense and let his laughter spill from him in waves. Lance was vaguely aware of his body pausing, balanced on his knees with his pillow poised to give Pidge a very due wallop to the face when the sound of Keith once again caused him to pause. His hand lowered slowly, a flabbergasted grin breaking his concentration and all he could do was stare; his revenge forgotten in favor of watching the rest of Keith’s trepidation melt away.  Pidge made some sort of amused noise in the background and Lance couldn’t find it in himself to care that much right now. Not when Keith was turning a genuine smile on them, on  _ Lance _ \- sunshine bright and full of mirth. 

“Alright then,” Keith raised his brow at them, the laughter clouding his voice. “So, where’s my spot?” His gaze swung to Lance and Lance suddenly had zero idea how English worked. His brain trying and failing to fire away long enough for him to formulate some kind of response at the thought of Keith curling up with next to him in the dark - and that...that’s what he wanted wasn’t it? 

Oh. Ohno. Bad. Big problem. This was  _ not _ supposed to go this way?! He didn’t bring Keith into his family fold only to develop some distinctly  _ non _ -familial crush on the guy! How was he supposed to explain that?! What kind of creep was he?!

“Well, “ Hunk broke in, noticing Lance’s panicked stare. “We all usually end up here on the floor, so you’re welcome to the couch if you’d prefer.” 

“ _ Or _ there’s plenty of room next to Lance.” Pidge’s smile was all teeth and Lance sent them the fiercest glare he could from the corner of his eye. “I like to have whatever I’m working on close by for distraction purposes.” 

“So you don’t actually watch the movie?” Keith questioned. 

“They do,” Hunk chuckled, “But between Lance and Pidge it turns out way more dramatic than any of us can handle in one sitting. So when the situation calls for it they bring something to distract them enough that they don’t get  _ as _ sucked in.” he leaned forward to stage whisper, “It never works.”

“Don’t hate us because we get attached!” Lance whined, crossing his arms petulantly. “We are invested in the emotional wellbeing of people we can’t understand and THAT IS OKAY!”

Pidge’s face twisted into a pout. “I feel like I should at least defend myself by saying I only get attached in the action or historical dramas.” 

“You guys realize they aren’t even real people, right?” Keith jumped in sounding innocent enough, but Lance knew better. 

“You keep your nose out of this, Red!” Lance gripped back. “You don’t know! You don’t even know how we  _ suffer _ !” He fell back dramatically against the couch, hand coming up to his forehead like a scandalized damsel. When the opportunity for drama arose, Lance was gonna take it, okay? 

Keith rolled his eyes, that dastardly cute smirk at the ready as he made his way over and plopped himself down on Lance’s empty side, elbowing him out of his pose. “Well at least watching you turn into a blubbering mess will be entertaining even if the movie itself isn’t.” Lance sputtered at him, ignoring the heat creeping its way back up his neck. 

“You just wait till my next pick! Altean romantic comedies are peak emotion destroyers! Then you'll be crying with the rest of us!” 

He didn’t notice Hunk moving beside him, finally able to slide out of Pidge’s way now that they were watching Keith and Lance’s exchange with growing interest. He came back in no time, having made his choice and not bothering to ask anyone if they wanted to or not. Probably for the best, or else they’d most likely end up bickering all night instead of chilling out like they were supposed to. 

Pidge called for the lights to darken as Hunk settled himself back in place. Once again, his arms lifted for Pidge and Lance to situate themselves comfortably. Pidge opted to turn so their back rested against Hunk’s ribs and they could type comfortably while Lance let his head fall on his friends’ shoulder. Keith stayed sitting up, back against the couch and ramrod straight. He wasn’t touching Lance, but he could feel the heat between their bodies in a way that was almost painful. 

“Settle in, kids. It’s gonna be a good one!” Hunk’s arms tightened around them in anticipation. “Um...well I think it will be. It looked kinda cool.” 

“Whatever you chose is good enough for us, buddy.” Lance soothed. He saw Keith lean back and cross his arms across his chest loosely and Lance couldn’t help but feel kind of odd that the three of them were curled in together while Keith sat separately. 

_ Don’t project your bullshit on him, you idiot, we talked about this! _

Keith was fine. He seemed just fine, comfortable even, Lance observed as the credits for the movie started. The glow of the screen bouncing on and off them as the music swelled to a great, dramatic crescendo. It looked like Hunk had picked some historical drama, the big guy had a fondness for them even back at home. Though the only reason they had a vague idea of what was considered “historical” to Altea was when Allura pointed out the differences in language and dress to them the last time she attended. They had no idea what the hell they were looking at otherwise, and it wasn’t until Pidge had come up with a translation program that they were even able to watch the things with English subtitles in the first place. 

Movie night had been built on a lot of trial and error.

Lance risked another glance to see Keith immersed in the film, looking more content than he could remember seeing in a while. Happy, just to be sitting there with them. Keith twitched, instincts telling him he was being watched and looked over at Lance to catch him staring. 

Lance tried to find the embarrassment that should be throttling him, he did just get caught staring at Keith  _ by Keith _ , but was something in the other boys’ expression, a softness in the flashing grey light that Lance couldn't bring himself to look away from. 

Keith eventually broke the staring contest though, an amused huff of air escaping him as his gaze dropped to Hunks arm around Lance's shoulder and back to Lance himself in silent question. Lance's mind spun at the idea that Keith had just been waiting for permission to join the giant cuddle pile and it was unbearably cute how awkward he still seemed to be about the whole thing. 

Well, let no one say Lance wasn't a perceptive person. 

Leaning further into Hunks side, Lance lifted his own shoulder and Hunk moved accordingly without taking his starry-eyed gaze from the screen. When there was a sufficiently Keith-sized space available, Lance stretched out and wiggled his fingers in an invitation, smiling nervously. 

Keith graced him with that smile again and scooted over until he was snugly pressed up against Lance's side. Lance let his arm drift around Keith's waist and Hunks fell back around them both, fingers brushing Keith's shoulder blades. Keith didn’t have to make a sound for Lance to feel the last tendrils of strain melt away from his muscles as they molded together. 

Thankfully Hunk and Pidge were too immersed in their low- toned conversation to bother making fun of Lance again for this but he wasn't entirely sure he'd care at this point. Having Keith here, black hair brushing softly against Lance’s cheek, Hunks comforting weight and Pidge's familiar commentary in the background - it felt like…

It felt like home.

“Hey,” Keith's whisper sent shockwaves running down his arms and Lance turned his head only to end up almost nose to nose with him. His breath left his lungs so quickly he forgot how to bring it back for a moment. 

“Y-yeah?” Lance whispered back, thankful that the dark would hide the flush of his skin. 

Keith’s gaze flits from his eyes to his mouth, to the bridge of his nose, leaving Lance feeling exposed and awestruck from the softness of it. 

“Thanks, Lance.” Keith murmured, so low that Lance probably would have missed it had he not been staring so intently at Keith’s earnest face.

Lance froze, not sure what in the world Keith could be thanking him for. Including him? No. They should have been doing that all along. Lance wished suddenly that they weren't sitting in a dark room with their friends, and that instead, they were somewhere else. Somewhere quiet where Lance could apologize and explain to Keith that he  _ deserved _ to feel cared for and loved and -  _ oh _

Keith slid down a bit, head tilting to fit snugly in the space between Lance’s neck and shoulder, blissfully oblivious to Lance's swirling thoughts. His face was burning, Lance knew it would be hot to the touch. He also knew that their reprieve from Hunk and Pidge’s attention was officially gone and that they were totally gonna corner him about this later. Normally he would have sputtered, drawn even more attention so at least he could be in control of where it was diverted to. Invited back the noise and the bluster if only to distract him from the ferocious beating of his heart. 

But Keith’s hair smelled like soap and sunlight, and he was pulling Lance’s arm tighter around his waist to settle in and Lance felt the jumbled mess of his mind settle into warmth and calm. Calm, like he’d been back at home on those nights when he and his siblings would sneak out to lay under the stars and fall asleep wrapped up in each other. Calm in a way he hadn't really felt since he'd left home for the Garrison.

In a fit of bravery, Lance gripped Keith’s wrist as it went to slide away, thumb rubbing under the edge of his glove to trace the scars he knew would be there. Keith didn’t protest, and Lance felt an overwhelming surge of that non-platonic affection again.

There was a conversation that needed to be had here, he knew. 

Instead Lance smiled, cheek landing on top of Keith’s (stupidly soft) hair as they watched the Altean general lead his troops to victory on the screen.

_ It can wait. _

 

* * *

 

“Hunk.” Lance sat in the kitchen, hot mug of alien tea in his hands as he watched his friend preparing them what was sure to be an amazing breakfast. “I love you.” 

Hunk raised his eyebrow but didn’t stop stirring whatever new concoction he had going on. “I love you too, buddy.” 

“I love you, “ Lance continued, gaze slightly unfocused. “Like a brother. Like a real brother. Like we grew up together from diapers and scraped knees and I think you give the best hugs in the whole universe.” 

Hunk was humming non-committally and Lance had a feeling he knew where this was going even if Lance didn’t quite get it himself. 

“Pidge. I love Pidge so much. They make me laugh until stuff comes out of my nose.” 

“They do .” Hunk nodded again. “Also, gross.”

“Allura. I mean, man,  _ Allura.  _ She just gets me, you know? Softest hands. Gives awesome head rubs. The best. Wow. I love her.” 

“Very true.” 

“Shiro is so comforting. I can’t believe a guy like that could be so kind. I love him and his pep talks and his whole dad vibe.” He waved his hands around as if trying to express just how big his feeling was because he couldn’t find the right mouth sounds. 

“La-”

“Then there’s Coran -” 

“Lance, “ Hunk sighed, finally. Deliberately placing his bowl on the counter and turning to his friend as he wiped his hands clean. He took in Lance’s expression; the mixture of awe, of affection, of fear. 

“No - Hunk,” Lance sighed as his fingers came up to rub his aching forehead. He hadn't slept much. “You don’t get it. I-I love you guys. All. So freaking much. I don’t think I’d had made it out here without a family.” 

Hunk’s expression softened and without further preamble, he rounded the table to wrap Lance up in his arms. Lance buried his face in his chest and sucked in a breath, exhaling wetly as he grasped him back. Lance kept talking and even with his muffled voice and slumping shoulders, Hunk heard him. 

“I don’t love Keith.” 

Hunk’s heart broke at the absolutely miserable tone and his protest stuck I'm his throat. He slid his fingers into the hair at the nape of Lance’s neck, stroking until the shaking started to slow. 

“I wanted to bring him into the fold. He seemed so - lonely? I didn’t mean - I didn’t...” 

Hunk didn’t speak, just kept scratching lightly at the base of Lance’s scalp. He needed to get this out. It was time. Long since time. 

“I don’t love him... like I do you.” Lance drew in another deep, clearing breath. “I’m  _ in _ love with him...aren’t I?” 

And there it was. Finally. 

“Yeah, buddy.” Hunk chuckled, keeping his tone light. “You really are.” 

For as long as Lance had known him, Hunk seemed to have an in-depth knowledge of the mess that was Lance’s brain. Prepared for any outburst or tragedy with soothing tones and hugs.

What he hadn't been prepared for was Lance’s head whipping up suddenly and cracking him in the jaw. Lance was pretty sure they were gonna feel that tomorrow. 

Lance sputtered apologetically, rubbing his hands over his friend’s face and ignoring the blossom of pain on his own crown. He sighed.  _ God _ . 

“What the hell am I supposed to do with that?!” Lance moaned miserably. 

Hunk shrugged, still holding his tender jawbone. “You tell him.” he said simply, as though it were the easiest thing in the universe. 

“I can't  _ do  _ that Hunk!” Lance’s voice was bordering on panic. “Do you know how fucked up that would be? Hey, so, thanks for letting me touch you all the time cuz even though I told you it was a platonic comfort thing, I kind of wanna throw you against the wall and -” 

“Oooookay!” Hunk slapped his hands over his ears. “I'm just here for advice, I'm not here for the descriptions!” 

“Dude. I feel like I'm taking advantage of him or something.” 

Hunk’s laugh erupted out of him like he flat out couldn’t help himself and Lance glared, lips pursing. “Not helping!”

“Lance.” He placed both his hands on Lance's shoulders, making sure they were eye to eye. “Keith may have been a desert hermit for a while - but he's not stupid and he's not some alien that doesn't understand human contact. I mean, he's part alien, yeah,but he's from Earth. There has always been a difference in how you interact with each other and how you interact with us.” 

“He's not exactly a people person! Like you said, he lived in a desert by himself, he had barely any interaction with people before us. He was  _ lonely _ and I just came in, bullied him into letting me hang on him all the time and  _ then decided to catch feelings _ !” 

The sigh that escaped Hunk was long-suffering this time. “Lance. You literally asked him if it was okay. You're also severely underestimating him if you think you could bully  _ Keith _ into anything. Stop freaking out. “ 

“But-” 

“No.” Hunk shook him a little and the panic building in Lance's chest stalled momentarily. “Listen. You need to talk to him. You're obviously getting some wires crossed here. Have you ever stopped to think about how he's been reacting to you? Since this started has he ever pushed you away or told you to stop?” He fixed Lance with an exasperated look. “Better yet, has the guy broken your neck for even trying?”

“Obviously not.” Lance grumbled, more than slightly intimidated by the stern crease of Hunk’s eyebrows. When the big guy had some shit to say, he sure got his point across. 

“So  _ obviously _ he doesn't have a problem with it.” Hunk said. “In fact, it seems like he enjoys being close to you.” 

Lance let Hunk hold him steady, but his gaze dropped to his feet as his breath even out. He just couldn’t seem to get passed this sudden influx of...whatever the hell he felt for Keith. Being able to show him the same affection he’d shown the others started to mend their issues almost overnight and it had been so weird but also kind of exciting.  They still fought, they probably always would, but that tension, that bitterness, the jealousy - it was gone from their interactions altogether.

Lance had finally gotten to see Keith, really see him. The smile he’d thought couldn’t appear without some sort of snark, or arrogance, was actually soft and sweet, if small. Keith was shyer about it, but affection came to him more and more easily as time went on. He didn’t freeze when Hunk or Pidge hugged him anymore and had a tendency to drift Lance’s way during downtime. In fact, Lance rarely had to seek Keith out anymore. 

If Keith ever changed his mind, if he ever wanted to back away from them, from  _ Lance _ \- he would do it. He would do it because Keith asked but the thought of never again being close enough to see just exactly how Keith’s eyes crinkled when he was happy tore a hole right through him. All he could do was desperately hope that that never became the case. 

Since the movie incident two nights ago, nothing had really changed. Where Lance thought it would be excruciatingly awkward or that Keith would start avoiding him -  instead he had just continued on as they had before within their new realm of normal. Dragging Lance onto the couch for (not)cuddles, throwing his legs over Lance’s lap while he read, playfully poking at the freckles that sprinkled across his nose while Lance sputtered and wrestled him away laughing. 

That was another thing, there was so much  _ laughter  _ now _.  _

When Lance was with Keith, he just couldn’t help but laugh. Somehow, in the midst of this, that hot-headed, grumpy little prick had woven his way into Lance’s head with his little smiles and careful affection. Lance was struck again by the memory of Keith curled his side, head resting on his shoulder like it belonged there, and fingers tangled lazily with Lance’s on his hip. They’d fit together like that as if they’d always been that way and Lance hadn’t been able to find a reason to think otherwise at that moment.

So, maybe - maybe Hunk had a point. 

Lance brought his hands up to his face and muffled a frustrated yell. He was gonna have to talk to Keith one way or another. There was a distinct possibility that shit was going to hit the fan but there was also another possibility. A considerably more favorable one. 

One that ended with a ‘ _ them’ _ .

“If this blows up in my face, I’m blaming you.” Lance peaked through his fingers to see Hunk smiling serenely and swore that if he didn’t love the guy so much he’d have probably kicked him to the floor by now. 

“You got it, buddy.” Hunk patted his head, before shoving him flailing out of the chair. “Now, go get your man!” 

“ _Oh my god,_ _Hunk! Why?!_ ”

 

* * *

 

Lance actually waited until considerably later to seek Keith out. Allura had sent Pidge and Keith down on a quick recon mission anyway, so that had given him some time to put a game plan together. At this point, Lance was grateful for any distraction since he had no goddamn idea what he was going to say to the guy in the first place.

He didn’t want to make himself terribly obvious by meeting them in the hangar when they came back. Nor did he want to deal with Pidge’s wicked smirk because of course Hunk told them everything that went down. Lance could only be slightly annoyed about that, it’s not like it didn’t go around the grapevine every other way when Pidge or Hunk had their own embarrassing things happening, he just didn't like when it was his turn. 

Also, it had never quite been this _ big _ before. 

Keith usually made right for his room as soon as the debriefing with Shiro and Allura was over so he could hit the shower. He said the dirt/plants/air on other planets just felt wrong on his skin and he wanted to get it off as soon as possible. Lance couldn't help wondering if it was an oversensitivity thing. Maybe Galra were particular about cleanliness?

Lance figured Keith’s room was a safer place to talk to him. At least he didn’t have to worry about someone walking in on them when Lance inevitably fell all over himself.

When he was face to face with Keith’s door, Lance’s hand froze before it hit the keypad. How the hell was he gonna do this?  _ Hi, Keith, so I really like this touching thing we’re doing now, and I’m a little gone for the way you laugh, and can we add kissing to our list of new things we’re doing? Cool, thanks? _

Lance’s shoulders sagged, “What am I even doing?” he muttered to himself. In what sideways dimension is this going to end well? You don’t go from barely friends to...to... _ other  _ in the span of a few weeks. 

Well, maybe some people can, but not them. Not Keith-freaking-Kogane. Even if Lance hadn’t caused a sizeable rift in their relationship from day one, Keith was so far out of Lance’s league it wasn’t even funny. Objectively, Lance had known from day one that Keith was attractive. The guy was all compact muscle and dark eyes and the hero of most people’s wet dreams. He was courageous and skilled with basically any weapon he laid his hands on. He was a beast in the pilot seat. He had this crazy sharp mind in combat and just this fierce desire to protect.

On the other hand, Keith was also an enormous dork who's nose scrunched when he laughed, who wouldn’t hesitate to join in on a food fight, who could talk about books for literal hours if someone let him.

He was just - perfect. 

Lance couldn’t believe how long it had taken him to allow that thought to cross his mind without violently tamping it down, but here he was. Here he was, standing outside Keith’s door like some creeper talking to himself. Awesome. 

“Lance?”

Lance came pummeling back to earth with a wicked yell, jumping much higher than should probably be humanly possible. He landed ungracefully and right on his ass, his pride in shambles when he saw Keith’s confused blinking face. He hadn’t even heard the door open, when had the door opened?!

“H-hey man.” Lance waved pathetically from the floor. “I’m just, you know….chillin?” 

Keith’s eyebrow raised, unimpressed as he studied him from the doorway. After a moment of consideration, he sighed loudly and rubbed the back of his head. 

“Yeah, this isn’t happening.” 

Lance’s heart dropped out of his stomach and his eyes grew wide. “W-what? What are you talking about? There’s nothing to not happen here!” Oh god. He knew, didn’t he? Of course, he knew, why wouldn’t he know, it’s not like Lance is good at this sort of thing he wears his emotions on his sleeves. He was so stupid for even  _ thinking _ -

Put-upon, Keith leaned down to wave his hand in front of Lance’s panicked face, but instead of the annoyed smack Lance would have probably expected, it merely lay stretched out before him in an offering. 

“You’re freaking out.” Keith’s voice was an odd mixture of amused and gentle. He was handling Lance with kid gloves...why would he do that if not for the fast approaching rejection that was sure to come? 

“We’re not doing the freaking out thing.” Keith cut his thoughts off once more, firmly. “Just get in here already and we’ll talk.” His tone left no room for argument and, shocked into silence once again, Lance took Keith’s hand and let himself be led into the red paladin’s room. 

Keith’s space was still a bit muggy as the steam from his shower left the room feeling sticky and warm, the unmistakable scent of Keith’s shampoo soothing Lance despite himself. Lance would have been utterly content to bask in the ambiance if it wasn’t for the fact that he was absolutely terrified. 

Keith pushed him gently to sit on his bed and stood in front of him with his arms crossed, studying him. Lance stared helplessly, trying to find a place to put his hands and make his stupid mouth work in his favor for once. But the way the wet strands of ink black hair clung to the sides of Keith’s neck, the relaxed state of his shoulders, the sharp curve of his jaw - all these little details burned themselves into Lance’s brain in a horribly distracting way. It was the eyes though, always those dark, haunting depths that drew Lance straight out of his own body and tumbling headfirst into everything that was  _ Keith. _

He never had been able to match up against the all consuming nature of Keith’s emotions, good or bad. 

“Yeah.” he swallowed, trying to dislodge the giant knot in his throat. “I….I might be….freaking out. Just a bit.” Lance admitted, already caught and sort of too emotionally drained to argue. Keith didn’t seem like he was mad at him, at least, so if he did know what was going on maybe they could come out of this thing still friends. He hoped. 

The amused huff of air that escaped Keith’s lips wasn’t exactly the reaction he’d pictured and Lance couldn’t help the confused scrunch of his eyebrows or the sarcastic retort that was readying itself on his tongue. Old habits die hard, they say.

“Movie night?” Keith asked.

Lance drew back, nodded, avoided his gaze. “Well, no! I mean. I -  you - yeah..” 

“Okay,” Keith nodded, lips quirking up as if he’d known all along exactly how this whole thing was gonna go and he was just humoring Lance at this point. God, seriously, how did the bastard pull off smug at a time like this!

“Let me help alleviate some of your suffering.” He leaned down, that damn hair falling from around his ears to brush his cheeks making sure Lance’s attention was on him again, the smirk on his face widening into something that was all confidence and humor and yet so very, very soft.

“Lance, I love you.” 

Lance opened his mouth to speak, once, twice, three times but what he managed were these unattractive little squeaking noises until - 

“WHAAAAAAT?!?!?!??!!”

 

* * *

 

“Should we be concerned about that?” Shiro asked, more out of habit than any real worry, not bothering to take his eyes from his datapad. 

Allura hummed thoughtfully, letting the mice play with her fingers as she stretched idly on the couch. “Oh, I should think not. “ 

Shiro hummed back in agreement.

 

* * *

“I said I-” 

“NOPE! Pause!” Lance jumped up, waving his arms like a psycho little pinwheel before he pointed an accusing finger at Keith. “Now you hold on just one damn minute flyboy! How the hell are you just gonna drop that on me when I’ve been out here losing my shit thinking I’ve boxed you in to even being  _ around me?!” _

Keith’s shoulders were all carelessness as he shrugged. He was entirely too calm about this, the bastard. “I assumed you had  _ some _ idea with all the cuddling, hand holding, and general flirting you kept initiating. I didn’t realize you were that far up your own ass that you didn’t realize I returned your feelings.” Keith muttered, fingers rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he continued.  “But I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.” There was that annoying ass smirk again. The one that was way too cocky to be attractive but somehow still freaking  _ was _ . Oh, Lance was so very screwed over here. 

“I take offense to that - and we will talk about your smartassery at a later date make no mistake - but you...you really...” Lance felt himself deflating, his hands sliding into his own hair as he tried not to spin around the room to release some of this pent up energy, or make sure this wasn’t a dream. Oh god, what if this was a  _ dream _ ?

“Are you serious right now?” Lance breathed into the space between them. 

As if sensing the vulnerability Lance was desperately trying to keep at bay, Keith drew himself closer until their toes touched. His hands moved to release themselves of their hold, slowly reaching down to cover the ones still resting against Lance’s head, loosening the blue paladin’s death grip on his own hair as he sunk down on his knees to bring them eye level. Keith’s fingers slid effortlessly into the empty spaces between Lance’s own and he held on tight enough to keep Lance grounded. With their eyes locked, Keith’s breath on his face, the warmth of their joined hands seeping into his skin, Lance didn’t think he would be able to escape from this even if he wanted to. And damn, he really  _ really _ didn’t want to. 

“Lance,” Keith’s voice was a whisper, but it echoed in Lance’s head like a shout. “I’ve been crazy about you for an...embarrassingly long time.” his grin turned slightly crooked and Lance felt his knees shake, his emotions trying to burst through his veins. “I was coping when we kept each other at arm's length, but when you started well, including me, I just - it was like opening the floodgates. I felt bad at first, I didn’t want to take advantage of your affection, your kindness, just to get what I wanted.” 

Keith’s thumbs brushed against his knuckles and Lance was once again struck by how _ not  _ weird this was. How natural it felt to be sitting here with him in the dark, breathing the same air. How, even though he had just gone through a huge emotional freak out over it, what was really blowing his mind was that he  _ believed  _ what Keith was saying. 

Which meant Keith loved him too. 

“You know…” Lance started, his grin slipping fierce and wild until his cheeks burned with the sheer spread of it because  _ Keith Kogane loved him. _ “I literally just got done crying to Hunk about how I was taking advantage of you and your lonely hermit self and luring you in with my charms.” 

“You did not.” Keith sounded a little skeptical and a lot breathless. Lance could relate.

“Oh, tears, snot, the whole nine.” 

The romantic vibe they were probably going for was completely ruined at Keith’s answering snort and the series of giggles that followed. The bright, open grin stunning Lance instantaneously as he joined in. 

Keith pressed his face into Lance’s shoulder, the cackling coming to an end as they just slowed their breathing back to sync. His hands moved from Keith’s hold and drew the other boy closer instead. It was a bit of an awkward angle, with Keith sort of having to kneel in front of him, but the red paladin wasn’t complaining as his own arms came up to grip the back of Lance’s hoodie, so Lance just let himself have this. 

_ Holy quiznak he could have this. _

“I...You know I love you too, right?”

Keith’s grip tightened and Lance could swear he felt a smile stretch across the skin of his throat where Keith had nuzzled in. “Yeah. I got that.” He  took one last long breath in, before sitting up and back on his heels to look up at Lance with that grin still on his face. “So….are we good?” 

“”Good.” He says! “ Lance huffed, trying for annoyed but his chest was filled to bursting and he was pretty sure he was going to start running through the castle halls screeching in joy. “We’ll be “good” when you make up for the  _ mental agony _ you put me through -” 

“That you put yourself through.” Keith smirked.

“That  _ you put me through _ !" 

Keith hummed, feigning ignorance. “Hmm. I wonder how I could possibly undo such damage. I guess I’ll just have to leave you alo-”

Lance flew off the bed, arms around Keith’s shoulders as he flung them both onto the ground, his battle cry melding with Keith’s guffaw of laughter and that was just the best sound. Lance wanted to keep hearing that sound, helping Keith  _ make _ that sound, for the rest of his life. 

Keith wasn’t even the slightest bit perturbed, his eyes flashing with that animal glee and his arms curved around Lance’s back and waist, holding him firm. Of course Keith would make an attack look like something he’d planned all along and….yeah okay Lance had kind of walked into this but he wasn’t about to let that slide. 

Lance growled, “How’s this for turning the tables?” before he finally, finally caught that wicked, soul wrenching smile in a kiss. It was a small thing, a question among the challenge but Lance felt his entire body light up like a firework. Did he seriously think he’d have gotten by not being able to do this? He had been so, so wrong. 

Lance grinned into it, feeling Keith tense all around him and pulled back to observe his work. His victory simmering with fondness at the utterly blissed out look on Keith’s face. He opened his mouth to ask if he was alright when Lance felt hands in his hair and he was unceremoniously yanked  back into Keith’s space. 

Keith kissed like he did everything else. With all the love, determination, and passion he put into all aspects of his life  There was no middle ground with Keith - always all or nothing. Lance gave as good as he got, fingers running a desperate trail through all of Keith’s damp, wonderful smelling hair while Keith tried his damndest to pull Lance under his skin. Lance had a vague second to wonder why there wasn’t more awkwardness to this. There was no slow, tentative stage in their kisses. They kissed like they’d been doing it for weeks, for months, for years. Keith’s hands seemed to know exactly how to grasp Lance’s hips to make him shiver and when he opened his mouth to offer more, Lance didn’t hesitate to dive.

They’d already done that part though, hadn’t they? All that time learning about one another, watching each other’s every move long before they even decided to become friends. There was no reason to be self conscious when they already knew each other like the back of their own hands. 

So Lance took what Keith so graciously offered him, enjoying the maneuverability he still kept by trapping Keith beneath him when he was able to control the press of their bodies into the floor and Keith’s head flew back from the kiss with a hissing moan. 

“You alright down there, Red?” Lance chuckled, breathless and proud and so quiznaking  _ happy. _

“We have been doing this for five minutes and you’re already trying to kill me.” Keith groaned, the flush of his face becoming even more prominent as Lance’s eyes drank his fill of him. 

“Well get used to it mullet, cuz I plan on finding the slowest way to kill you possible.” Lance smirked, stopped. “Wait, I - Uh…not like, literally. I just.” Keith was laughing at him again. “Shut UP, you know what I meant!” 

“Way to turn a phrase, Lance.” 

“I like it better when we’re not talking. “ Lance’s eyes narrowed, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. 

Keith caught that lip with his teeth and Lance’s whole face exploded with color. “Same.” 

They didn’t talk for a long time after that. 

 

* * *

 

“I still cannot believe you actually did it!” Pidge grumbled from their customary place next to Hunk. “And I can’t believe I lost a bet to HUNK!”

Hunk laid a large hand on Lance’s shoulder, his face full of pride. “Don’t worry, man, I had total faith in you.” His grin widened as he squeezed around Pidge’s middle, enjoying the annoyed squawking noise it elicited from them. 

“Thanks, buddy.” Lance chuckled, reclined into Hunk’s other side. “But wait - what the hell were you two doing taking bets on my love life anyway!?” 

Hunk and Pidge shrugged together, “What else is there to do around here?”

“Wow,” Keith muttered, his head pillowed on Lance’s lap, the rest of him spread on the floor by the couch. “We really need to get some hobbies.” 

Lance’s smile was lopsided, but he didn’t bother to hide it. What was the point? Everyone already knew anyway. He  _ may _ have actually ran through the hallways yelling about Keith loving him, but no one else needed to know that outside of the castle ship. Nope. It was fine. No dignity lost here. 

“I thought you were sleeping?” Lance asked. 

Keith’s eyes were closed, head turned towards Lance’s stomach as he dozed on and off. An adorable, irritated look crossed his features and he nuzzled around to find Lance’s hand that had stopped playing with his hair during the conversation with Hunk and Pidge. Once Lance’s hand resumed its’ duties, Keith’s chest rumbled in what he adamantly claimed was  _ not _ a purr. 

It was so a purr. Lance beamed. 

“Hard to sleep with Pidge screaming like a banshee.” Keith replied.

“Well then tell Hunk to quit trying to suffocate me!” 

“Pidge, I’m hurt, you know I love hard!” Hunk’s hand came up over his heart, fake sniffles grating enough on Pidge’s nerves that she gritted out a half-hearted “Yeah yeah, sorry.” 

Lance didn’t try to stop his laughter, fingers still dancing in Keith’s hair. Lance had been surprised at the utter lack of give-a-fuck Keith had when it came to public affection. Now that they’d settled things between them, he took every single opportunity he could to curl into Lance like he was. It was a kind of new discovery to find that he  _ loved _ being held. It was kind of the cutest thing Lance had ever seen in his whole life. 

The doors to the common room slid open and Lance saw Shiro, Allura, and Coran finally make their way in. Keith had gotten annoyed waiting for them to show up for movie night, but Lance insisted that they all be present from now on and take the time to just chill out together. Hence, Keith’s cuddly nap. 

Shiro waved in greeting, his eyes automatically zero-ing in on Keith with a soft, fond look. “Hey, guys, sorry we’re late. Are we still invited?” 

He’d been the most surprised at their relationship, due to the utterly conflicting nature of  how Keith and Lance operated at times, but nothing made Shiro happy quite like Keith being happy. So Shiro had walked around for the past few weeks shooting them disgustingly soft dad eyes and Lance was grateful to have someone who cared as much about Keith as he did. 

Keith rolled over with a grumpy frown to point lazily at him. “Not if you’re gonna keep being late.” 

“A queen is never late.” Allura chirped, her hair tied up in a casual ponytail and her favorite quilt wrapped in her arms. She bounced over to them, eyeing the four on the floor and the expanse of the couch before deciding. “Shiro, Coran, if you would please.” 

“Right-o, milady!” Coran happily vaulted himself over to sit on the couch,  his hilarious albeit comfortable looking nightgown billowing around his ankles as he did so. His legs slid behind Pidge and Hunk. Shiro chuckled, making his way over to sit on the other side, leaving a space in between for Allura, casually kicking at Keith’s feet in that annoying way only brothers tended to do. 

Satisfied, Allura daintily placed her quilt along the back of the couch before throwing herself across both Coran and Shiro’s laps with a shriek of glee that had all of them jumping up to look at her in shock. She looked like a little kid, happy and carefree and Lance’s heart warmed. This was exactly why he’d wanted to do this. They needed this if they were gonna survive the insane situation destiny had thrown them into. They needed each other. 

“Oh, is it my turn to choose?” She asked, head pillowed on Shiro’s leg and feet curling under Coran’s for warmth. “I recommend ‘Attack of the  _ Xznly Squiwl’!  _ It was a favorite of mine as a child. Father never approved of me seeing it without an adult present but I couldn’t help myself! I’m sure you’ll all enjoy it as well!” 

“Ahh….so it’s a horror movie then?” Hunk gulped, squishing both Lance and Pidge closer to his sides. 

Allura looked to Shiro, who nodded, amused, and she turned back to Hunk with a wide grin. “Yes, Hunk! A great Altean horror!” 

“We got you, bro, don’t even sweat.” Lance patted Hunk’s leg. Well, he hoped Keith was cool with Hunk sleeping on their floor tonight cuz the guy did not handle scary well and bro code stated that bro’s didn’t leave other bros to cry alone in the dark after movie night.

Oh did he say  _ their  _ floor? Er....He meant Lance’s floor, technically. Keith just kind of...was there. Most nights. Lance felt his skin tingle and the temperature raise just a bit at the thought. 

Those were  _ amazing  _ nights. 

Lance hadn’t even noticed Keith had been staring at him until he felt a finger poking his cheek. He looked down to meet Keith’s curious gaze. “Why are you so red all of the sudden?” 

Feeling the flush creeping up his neck even further at being caught, Lance feigned a scoff and grabbed Keith’s prodding hand. “Keith you can’t just go around asking people why they’re  _ red _ .” 

Hunk and Pidge started cackling immediately, the little meme lords. Keith’s eyebrows were drawn together so tight it was no wonder he was getting little crinkles there; and when he asked,“ What? What did I say?”  that only served to make the other two laugh harder. 

Lance kissed Keith’s hand between giggles, silencing the other man’s protest. “Nothing, babe. Watch the movie.” 

Keith grumbled, but settled back into Lance’s lap soothed by the affection. 

So it turned out all the movies were actually pre-programmed and could be activated by voice command, which made Pidge and Lance groan at their own stupidity but made it easier for everyone to settle in together. Pidge had found a place sort of in between Coran’s legs while still letting Hunk curl his arm around them. They’d actually opted to leave the laptop off tonight, as this hadn’t been a movie they’d seen before and they had a soft spot for monster flicks. 

Coran was rubbing Allura’s ankles gently, eyes drooping in a way that showed he probably wasn’t going to make it very far past the movie credits. Allura was of course, curled like a cat against Shiro’s leg. Shiro, initially wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, and Lance couldn’t blame him, but eventually Allura grabbed hold of his Galra hand and placed it on her head in clear invitation. She hummed appreciatively when Shiro started moving his hand in small circles along her scalp. 

Lance was where he always was on these nights; pressed into Hunk. But this time, he leaned his head back against Allura’s side and held Keith in his arms, enjoying the closeness from all angles. 

Keith had his fingers intertwined with Lance’s, their hands sitting part way underneath his head. Lance’s other hand was curled around Keith’s waist, rubbing back and forth across the patch of silken-ed skin between the hem of his shirt and pants. 

Lance took a deep breath in and closed his eyes for a moment, just basking in this feeling. It was times like this that made it all worth it. When the black hole that was homesickness would be filled instead with the scents and sounds and touches of his team, his family - and now, the man he loved. These were the times when Lance wanted for nothing. He  _ knew _ he’d see his family again, and that they’d adore the people who Lance grew to love. The ones who made him strong and reminded him that he was worthy of the title of Blue Paladin. Lance knew with absolute certainty that they would win. That they would make a new home, together, and that it would all be okay. 

Lance felt a tug on the front of his shirt and broke himself from his reverie. He blinked before smiling down at Keith and raising his eyebrow questioningly. 

Keith  was staring up at him once again, hand fisted in Lance’s shirt. He used the leverage to pull himself up halfway, trapping Lance in the darkness of his eyes. Lance was pretty sure Keith knew exactly what his eyes did to him, and he used it to his advantage more often than not. 

“You….” He whispered, keeping his voice so low Lance was sure Hunk was having trouble hearing. All the sound in the room seemed to silence outside of their little bubble, Lance’s whole world was centered on Keith. 

“You seem...happy.” Keith finished. He looked dazzled, he looked awed. 

Lance’s smile was soft and sweet, touched at the reverence in Keith’s voice. He lifted Keith’s head that little bit further, brushed a kiss to that beautiful mouth and whispered back: 

“I am.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> And that's that! Thank you for reading, and I hope my dorky little thing brought a smile to your face!


End file.
